The novel The Power on One written by Bryce Courtenay tells a story of the experiences and the hardships that a boy named Peekay must face. When everything seemed like it was hopeless somehow Peekay managed to have hope and find a way to overcome his troubles. His experiences make him into the man that he turns out to be. One of the very first and most painful experiences was when Peekay's good companion "Granpa Chook" is killed. Peekay feels a lot of pain and grief from watching his close friend, even though it was only a chicken, be killed. .
Granpa Chook was in a way Peekay's only real friend that was there with him the whole time he was in the boarding school. Granpa Chook and Peekay faced so many obstacles and for Granpa Chook to be killed by the Judge on the last day was the worst and most painful thing that could happen. Peekay says, "my loved and faithful chicken friend. Who will peck my ear? Who will be my friend? I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed" (p.50). Peekay might have been free to leave the next day back to his family, but Peekay still lost his only friend and this created a fire within him. A fire that would grow and burn until Peekay got the satisfaction he wanted. This fire made Peekay want to grow and become a stronger and better man than the Judge. Finally, when Peekay does meet up with the Judge by coincidence, the hate and fire grows so much that Peekay put all that he learned and all that he worked for into his fight against the Judge. Peekay says, "An anger so cold and fierce possessed me that I felt my mind would have to be torn from it, like a finger torn from dry ice" (p.510). Peekay's fury causes him to throw everything he has at the Judge. Peekay uses combos taught to him by Geel Piet, the combo's taught to him by Solly Goldman, and even uses Doc's knife to carve the intials "PK" where the Judge's swastika had been. Before the Judge collapsed unconscious Peekay tells Judge, "You killed Granpa Chook" (p.
